Posted online: Jul 30th, 2009

By Andrew Jennings
Reporter

LOCALS in Kildare town are uniting in outrage at a recent upsurge in burglaries and vandalism in the town.
With a spate of ‘smash and grab’ style incidents there last week, residents are getting increasingly concerned about the situation. Among the targets were a local school, several businesses, privately owned cars and tyre slashing.
Commenting on a break-in at Cill Dara Golf Club which caused huge damage to the club last week, manager Dara Doody (pictured right) said: “It’s a case of battening down the hatches. I’m just disgusted. It’s happening all over the place…my advice would be to not have any money lying around.” Several external windows were smashed and a number of doors kicked in along with cables were pulled from the ceiling during the incident. A small quantity of cash was taken.
During the early hours of last Thursday morning (23rd) two businesses had their front windows smashed on, in incidents the Gardai believe to be linked. At approx 2.20am the Southwell Stores on the Square had its front window smashed, while not long after the Liquor Merchant at Fairgreen suffered a similar fate.
On Tuesday morning (28th) the Vocational school was burgled, and a laptop stolen.
On the same day the window of a vehicle parked on the Rathbridge Road suffered a broken window when thug(s) snatched a handbag from it.
Gardai in Kildare have also described as “worrying” an outbreak of crime in the town early last Wednesday morning (22nd).
Two jeeps were broken into in the Newtown area of Suncroft and a quantity of expensive work tools were stolen.
In a similar incident on the same morning a Fiat Punto was broken in to at The Plains, while at Ruanbeg there was an attempted robbery of a Seat Cordoba.
Kildare Gardai said they are “happy enough that all four are linked.”
The previous day (21st) between 12-3pm a man had the tyres slashed on his vehicle parked at Fairgreen.
Anybody with information on any of the above incidents is asked to contact Gardai on 045 527 730.